ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY WEEKLY UPDATE
U.S. Geological Survey
Friday, August 28, 2009, 3:25 PM AKDT (Friday, August 28, 2009, 23:25 UTC)
AUGUSTINE VOLCANO
(VNUM #313010)
59°21'45" N 153°26'6" W,
Summit Elevation 4134 ft (1260 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL
Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
During recent days, a prominent steam/gas plume coming from the summit region of Augustine Volcano has been visible. Such activity is normal for Augustine. The plume can be more or less visible depending on atmospheric conditions, such as dew point, humidity, and wind.
Augustine Volcano is a 1260 m high (4134 ft) conical-shaped island stratovolcano located in southern Cook Inlet, about 290 km (180 mi) southwest of Anchorage, Alaska and 120 km (75 mi) southwest of Homer, Alaska. Historically, Augustine is the most active volcano in the Cook Inlet region with significant eruptions in 1812, 1883, 1908, 1935, 1963-64, 1976, 1986, and 2006. These eruptions were primarily explosive events that produced volcanic ash clouds (to 30,000-40,000 feet above sea level), ash fall, pyroclasic flows, and and lava domes or flows. During the 1883 eruption, a large avalanche on the north flank of the volcano flowed into Cook Inlet and may have initiated a tsunami observed at Nanwalek, about 90 km to the east.
REDOUBT VOLCANO
(VNUM #313030)
60°29'7" N 152°44'38" W,
Summit Elevation 10197 ft (3108 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY
Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW
No significant activity has been observed at Redoubt during the past week. Seismic activity remains low. Web camera images, when clear, continue to show emissions of water vapor and gases from the lava dome. The dome remains potentially unstable, and could collapse with little or no warning, likely resulting in significant ash production, hot block and ash flows, and flooding in the Drift River valley.
Although the operations center is not staffed 24/7, AVO continues to monitor the volcano on a 24/7 basis using an alarm system that alerts on-call staff of potential unrest.
Heavily ice-mantled Redoubt volcano is located on the western side of Cook Inlet, 170 km (106 mi) southwest of Anchorage and 82 km (51 mi) west of Kenai, within Lake Clark National Park. Redoubt is a stratovolcano which rises to 10,197 feet above sea level. Recent eruptions occurred in 1902, 1966-68, 1989-90, and 2009. The 1989-90 and 2009 eruptions produced mudflows, or lahars, that traveled down the Drift River and partially flooded the Drift River Oil Terminal facility. The ash plumes produced by the 1989-90 and 2009 eruptions significantly disrupted air traffic and resulted in minor or trace amounts of ash in the city of Anchorage and other communities in south-central and interior Alaska.
SHISHALDIN VOLCANO
(VNUM #311360)
54°45'19" N 163°58'16" W,
Summit Elevation 9373 ft (2857 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY
Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW
Seismic activity at Shishaldin remains low, and deformation and gas emission data do not show anything abnormal at the volcano. Satellite images have been obscured by clouds throughout the week. Web camera images, when clear, show nothing unusual. There is currently no indication that an eruption will occur. AVO continues to closely monitor activity at Shishaldin.
Shishaldin volcano, located near the center of Unimak Island in the eastern Aleutian Islands, is a spectacular symmetric cone with a base diameter of approximately 10 miles (16 km). A small summit crater typically emits a noticeable steam plume with occasional small amounts of ash. Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian volcanic arc, erupting atleast 28 times since 1775. Most of Shishaldin's eruptions have consisted of small ash and steam plumes, although the most recent eruption in April-May 1999 produced an ash column that reached a height of 45,000 ft above sea level.
OTHER ALASKA VOLCANOES
Seismic activity is monitored in real time at 31 volcanoes in Alaska. Satellite images of all Alaskan volcanoes are analyzed daily for evidence of ash plumes and elevated surface temperatures. Some volcanoes may currently display anomalous behavior but are not considered to be at a dangerous level of unrest. Akutan, Aniakchak, Dutton, Fisher, Fourpeaked, Gareloi, Great Sitkin, Griggs, Iliamna, Isanotski, Kanaga, Katmai, Korovin, Mageik, Makushin, Martin, Novarupta, Okmok, Pavlof, Snowy, Spurr, Tanaga, Trident, Ugashik-Peulik, Ukinrek Maars, Veniaminof, Westdahl, and Wrangell volcanoes are in color code GREEN and volcano alert level Normal. All are at or near normal levels of background seismicity. AVO did not detect ash plumes or significant elevated surface temperatures in the vicinity of any of these volcanoes.
Please see http://www.avo.alaska.edu/color_codes.php for complete definitions of Aviation color codes and Volcano alert levels.
VOLCANO INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET: http://www.avo.alaska.edu
RECORDING ON THE STATUS OF ALASKA'S VOLCANOES (907) 786-7478
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Tom Murray, Scientist-in-Charge, USGS
tlmurray@usgs.gov (907) 786-7497
Steve McNutt, Coordinating Scientist, UAF
steve@giseis.alaska.edu (907) 978-5458
The Alaska Volcano Observatory is a cooperative program of the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.